textproduct: Quad Cities

KEY MESSAGES

- Mid-Afternoon and through tonight, we will see a few rounds of showers and storms move through the area. Overall amounts will be around and inch or less, with a focused corridor over an inch possible.

- Quieter weather will be seen Friday into Saturday, as high pressure moves through the area.

- More amplified and active pattern takes shape Sunday through the start of the next work week, bringing several chances for showers and storms.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 215 AM CDT Thu Apr 9 2026

Cold front that has moved into the area has slowed down quite a bit, with it currently draped near the Highway 34 corridor. We may continue to see a little more southward progression with this boundary, but should stall out near or just south of that area. In either case, with this boundary draped over our south, it will serve as a focal point for precipitation later today. More on the precipitation chances below. Today will be seasonally mild, especially for areas along/south of Interstate 80. While we will not be as mild as we were yesterday, areas along/south of the interstate will see temperatures in mid-upper 60s and those in our far south approaching the low 70s. With light winds today, it will be quite pleasant outside. Through the morning, we will see a mix of clouds and sun, with increasing cloud cover through the afternoon hours.

Late in the morning, we do have the potential for isolated showers to fester along the boundary. Although, confidence is lower on that, with higher confidence in chances for precipitation moving in this afternoon and evening. This can be attributed to better forcing moving into the area, resulting from an approaching shortwave and developing LLJ. This LLJ may lead to some northward progression in the boundary, but we are not expecting drastic movement. The location of this boundary is key, as this will be where we see the best chance for a few rounds of showers and storms this evening and into the night. Guidance continues to disagree on the location of this precipitation axis, which will get honed in on through observational/mesoscale trends today. Where this axis of heavier precipitation sets up, upwards to 1.00-1.50" of rain are possible. Locations outside of that can still see between 0.50-1.00". Overall, we are not expecting severe weather with this, as we are lacking instability and forcing. Embedded thunderstorms will be seen though, which can be persistent for some through tonight. By 12z, much of the area will be rain-free, with the exception of areas along/south of Highway 34. Showers/storms may persist into Friday morning, but heaviest precipitation will be out of the area.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 215 AM CDT Thu Apr 9 2026

Aside from showers moving out of our south in the morning, Friday is geared to be a pleasant day to close the week. High pressure will be on its approach, with light northerly winds being seen through the day. Post-frontal airmass will keep temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60, with decreasing cloud cover. So, while the day will start quite grey and damp, the afternoon will feature more sun for some.

High pressure and associated ridge push east Saturday into Sunday, with upper level flow becoming more southwesterly. This would favor strong WAA into the region, especially on Sunday. Saturday will serve as the transitional day, which should keep us largely dry with temperatures in the 60s and a southeasterly breeze. A shortwave will eject off of the Rockies Saturday night into Sunday, with a strong LLJ setting up ahead of this wave. These features will result in sufficient forcing for evening/overnight showers/storms Saturday. Surface low will then track through the northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Sunday, with the associated cold front stalling out north of the area. Strong WAA will remain over the area, allowing temperatures to soar into the 70s. We will continue to see weak bouts of vorticity pass through the area, where scattered showers and storms may result. Best forcing currently seems to be in our north Sunday afternoon and through the night, which should be where we see the best chance for showers/storms. The overall severe threat seems low at this point.

Compared to the last forecast package, the main wave that was set to come through Monday/Tuesday has slowed down, with impacts from that now largely moving in Tuesday into Wednesday. We will still see the chance for showers/storms Monday into Tuesday, but will largely be due to weak bouts of energy ahead of the main wave. Thus, weaker forcing overall. Best forcing will be with that main wave Tuesday into Wednesday, especially with the surface cold front progged to come through Tuesday night. The chance for strong/severe storms is non-zero when this comes through. Although, with the best forcing coming through overnight, overall chances would seem lower at this time. As was hinted in the last forecast package, there is plenty of time for this to change. Thus, just keep in mind that we may have an active first half of the upcoming work week, with the potential for a few rounds of showers/storms.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 546 AM CDT Thu Apr 9 2026

Initially TAFs will be VFR over the area with mid clouds and good visibility, along with variable light winds. A few spotty showers will be moving through at times, with no restrictions to visibility or wetting rainfall. After 18Z, showers and some thunderstorms will begin to spread into eastern Iowa from central Iowa, with visibilties lowering to the 3-5 mile range in rain through early evening. AFter that, more widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected to move across Iowa and Illinois this evening and overnight, with more continuous rainfall visibility 3-5 miles in rain and fog, as well as a 60% or higher chance of seeing thunderstorms between 02-08Z tonight. Strong winds are not expected, but heavy rainfall could reduce visibility to under 3 miles at times.

DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

IA...None. IL...None. MO...None.